Biology and integrated pest management of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) infesting dry cured hams

The biology and physiology of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (Sarcoptiformes: Acaridae), also known as the ham, cheese or mold mite, is reviewed along with methods that have been evaluated for managing and controlling this pest. This review was conducted because the ham mite is an important target pest of the dry cured ham industry. Methyl bromide has been historically used to control mite infestations, but is now banned or being phased out of use in most countries because it is an ozone-depleting substance. Only commercially available stockpiles and quarantine and pre-shipment methyl bromide are available for use in countries that require such action. This review compares the effectiveness and feasibility of recently investigated methods to control mite infestations on dry cured ham and to discuss integrated pest management plans for ham mites. The review also proposes methods for conducting a prevention and monitoring-based integrated pest management program that relies on definitive mitigation such as fumigation only when mite numbers exceed a critical action threshold.     

Amino-functionalized magnetic bacterial cellulose/activated carbon composite for Pb2+ and methyl orange sorption from aqueous solution

A new nanostructured amino-functionalized magnetic bacterial cellulose/activated carbon(BC/AC)composite bioadsorbent(AMBCAC)was prepared for removal of Pb~(2+)and methyl orange(MO)from aqueous solution.The results demonstrated that the equilibrium adsorption capacity(q_e)for Pb~(2+)obviously increases by 2.14 times after introduction of amino groups,the optimum p H for Pb~(2+)and MO adsorption was 5.0 and 3.0,respectively,and the q_eof AMBCAC was 161.78 mg g~(-1)for Pb~(2+)and 83.26 mg g~(-1)for MO under the optimal conditions in this investigation.The kinetics and adsorption isotherm data of the sorption process were well fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm respectively.The thermodynamic results(the Gibbs free energy change G0,the enthalpy change H0,the entropy change S0)implied that the adsorption process of Pb~(2+)and MO was feasible,endothermic and spontaneous in nature.These results support that the AMBCAC composite developed in this work can provide a cheap and efficient way for easy removal of both Pb~(2+)and MO as a promising adsorbent candidate for wastewater treatment.     

Stable Organic Titanium Catalysts and Reactive Distillation Used for the Transesterification of Dimethyl Carbonate with Phenol

The transesterification of dimethyl carbonate with phenol to methyl phenyl carbonate (MPC) was investigated on novel catalysts such as titanium diisopropoxide bis(ethyl acetoacetate) and titanium dibutoxide bis(ethyl acetoacetate) in a closed batch reactor at 185–206 °C under high pressure. The produced methanol could be removed efficiently by reactive distillation in order to overcome the equilibrium. The prepared catalysts have higher resistance to water than titanium alkoxides. Phenol conversion as high as 86.4 % with an MPC selectivity of 99.4 % was achieved under optimal reaction conditions within 9 h. Most of the catalytic activity was retained after repeated use for ten times.     

Transesterification of Palm-based Methyl Palmitate into Esteramine Catalyzed by Calcium Oxide Catalyst

The technology for transesterification reactions between methyl esters and alcohols is well established by using classical homogeneous alkaline catalysts, which provide high conversion of methyl esters to specialty or nonindigenous esters. However, in certain products where the purity of the esters is of concern, the removal of homogeneous catalysts after the completion of the reaction is a challenge in terms of production cost and water footprint. Therefore, a study to investigate the potential of heterogeneous catalysts was conducted on reactions between methyl palmitate and triethanolamine. The degree of basicity and active surface area of calcium oxide (CaO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and magnesium oxide (MgO) were first characterized by using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD-CO₂) and Brunauere–Emmett–Teller (BET), respectively. Among the metal oxides investigated, the CaO catalyst showed the best catalytic activity toward the transesterification process as it gave the highest conversion of methyl palmitate and yielded fatty esteramine compositions similar to the conventional homogeneous catalyst. The optimum transesterification condition by using the CaO catalyst utilized a lower vacuum system of approximately 200 mbar, which could minimize a considerable amount of energy consumption. Furthermore, low CaO dosage of 0.1% was able to give a conversion of 94.5% methyl ester and formed esteramine at 170 °C for 2 h. Therefore, the production of esterquats from esteramine may become more economically feasible through the methyl ester route by using the CaO catalyst, which can be recycled three times.     

Research on thermal risk and decomposition behavior of methyl nitrite

The thermal hazards of methyl nitrite(MN) were investigated in the present study. The determination and evaluation of MN decomposition were conducted using a C600 micro thermometer. The thermal runaway reaction characteristics of the compound under different initial pressures were obtained using a VSP2 calorimeter. The kinetic parameters of MN were obtained by regression fitting and calculation of the microthermal experimental data. The experimental and calculated results demonstrated that the potential explosion risk of MN is very high.In addition, there was a high energy barrier in the early stage of the uncontrolled decomposition of MN; however,once the decomposition reaction was initiated, the subsequent decomposition was easily conducted. Under the conditions of adiabatic simulation, the possibility that the reaction was uncontrolled increases with the initial temperature and pressure of the system, and there is a great potential safety risk.     

Effects of temperature,relative humidity,and protective netting on Tyrophagus putrescentiae (schrank) (sarcoptiformes: Acaridae) infestation,fungal growth,and product quality of cave-aged Cheddar cheese

Research was conducted to evaluate the effects of using food-grade ingredients on cave aged Cheddar cheese as either a surface coating or in nets to prevent infestation by Tyrophagus putrescentiae growth at different environmental conditions. Food grade coating formulations with 1) xanthan gum and propylene glycol (XG+PG) and 2) carrageenan, propylene glycol alginate, and PG (CG+PGA+PG) were made and infused into nets. Jars with cave aged Cheddar cheese cubes that were inoculated with 20 mites were stored in an environmental chamber for 14 d at temperature and relative humidity (RH) combinations of 10, 15, and 20 °C and 75 ± 2 and 85 ± 2% RH. When averaged over RH, mite counts were fewer on control cheese cubes at 10 °C when compared to 15 °C and 20 °C, regardless of whether nets were used or not. However, mites were able to reproduce on untreated cheese cubes at all temperatures. The CG+PGA+PG and XG+PG coatings and nets controlled mite reproduction, as evidenced by harboring less than the initial inoculation level of 20 mites. Sensory results indicated that CG+PGA+PG and XG+PG coated Cheddar cheese at 10 °C and 75% RH and netted Cheddar cheese at 10 or 15 °C and 75% RH did not differ (P > 0.05) from the control with respect to sensory attributes. The treatments at 15 °C and 85% RH and 20 °C caused the cheese to be softer and more bitter than control cheese. In conclusion, the CG+PGA+ 40% PG and XG+40% PG treatments of both coatings and nets inhibited the growth of mites, and the use of nets lessened the impact of food grade coatings on the sensory properties of the Cheddar cheese.     

Cu7.2S4 nanosheets decorated on the {3 3 2} high index facets of Cu2O with controllable oxygen defects and enhanced photocatalytic activity

The heterostructure of Cu_7.2S₄ nanosheets/trisoctahedron Cu₂O were successfully constructed on the {3 3 2} high-index facets of Cu₂O. The results show that oxygen defects amount of the Cu_7.2S₄/Cu₂O samples are closely related to the thickness of Cu_7.2S₄ nanosheets. Compared with the unmodified cuprous oxide and the Cu_7.2S₄/Cu₂O modified with thick Cu_7.2S₄ nanosheets, the Cu_7.2S₄/Cu₂O grafted with 10 nm thickness of Cu_7.2S₄ show higher oxygen defects content and photocatalytic performance for MO decoloration. UV–VIS DRS and PL detection show that the Cu_7.2S₄ nanosheets grafting on Cu₂O with high-index facets accelerates the charge carrier separation, which results in an elevated degradation properties for MO.     

Synthesis and photoluminescent properties of orange-emitting Sm3+-activated KPb4(PO4)3 phosphor for LEDs

A series of Sm³⁺-doped KPb₄(PO₄)₃ phosphors have been successfully synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction method, and the structure, morphology and luminescent properties were investigated. The SEM images suggest that the prepared phosphor has an irregular morphology with a diameter of about 10 ~ 20 μm. Under near-ultraviolet (NUV) light (404 nm) excitation, all prepared phosphors KPb_4-xSm_xP₃O₁₂ (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) show the characteristic f → f emission bands of the Sm³⁺ activator. And the emission intensities have an upward trend with increasing the Sm³⁺ concentration when x is lower than 0.1. By monitoring 598 nm emission, the excitation spectrum of KPb_3.9Sm_0.1(PO₄)₃ contains a series of sharp bands in the range of 250 ~ 500 nm, which matches well with the NUV LED chip. The CIE coordinates of KPb_3.9Sm_0.1(PO₄)₃ phosphor was evaluated to be (0.5714, 0.4253), corresponding to orange color with a high color purity of about 90%.     

Properties of Orange Juice with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Treatment

The effects of supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂) on the microbiological, sensory (taste, odour, and colour), nutritional (vitamin C content), and physical (cloud, total acidity, pH, and °Brix) qualities of orange juice were studied. The CO₂ treatment was performed in a 1 litre capacity double-walled reactor equipped with a magnetic stirring system. Freshly extracted orange juice was treated with supercritical CO₂, pasteurised at 90°C, or left untreated. There were no significant differences in the sensory attributes and physical qualities between the CO₂ treated juice and freshly extracted juice. The CO₂ treated juice retained 88% of its vitamin C, while the pasteurised juice was notably different from the fresh juice and preserved only 57% of its vitamin C content. After 8 weeks of storage at 4°C, there was no microbial growth in the CO₂ treated juice.     

核壳型聚苯乙烯/聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯复合乳液的制备

以过硫酸铵(APS)为引发剂,用种子乳液聚合方法,合成出以聚苯乙烯(PSt)为核, 聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)为壳的复合乳液。透射电子显微镜观察了核壳复合乳胶粒的形态,光散射粒径分布仪(PCS)测量胶乳粒径大小及其分布。最终成功地制得了核壳型PS/PMMA复合乳液,所得复合乳胶粒粒径大小在60～90nm左右,且单分散性较好。